Are we sure Clint Eastwood wasn't in character at the RNC? In his latest role (the film is directed by Robert Lorenz), he's on the verge of blindness and senility, and at one point even kicks an empty chair while yelling "Son of a bitch!" at it. How's that for bad timing? Still, as professional baseball scout Gus, Clint reminds us why we cared about his opinions in the first place. He elevates surliness to an art form, and as his lawyer daughter, Amy Adams does an admirable job keeping up. Matthew Lillard's sinister turn as a stats-obsessed young gun positions this film as the anti-Moneyball; you keep expecting Clint to bellow, "Get your damn computer off my lawn!" Unfortunately, this isn't about the sport. It's yet another film about stubborn repressed people teaching each other to open up — she helps him see the players and sign the deals, he convinces her to stop eating vegan and to date a character played by Justin Timblerlake. The star power helps the charm outweigh the schmaltz.
